Author: No Night Flights

What do I do?

Write to or phone PINS before the end of the day on 21st December 2018

What do I write or say?

A short, simple message saying you would like to take part in an Open Floor Session on either 1oth (evening) or 11th (daytime) and mention the topics you would like to speak on.

What are the topics, what should I talk about?

PINS have a list of topics at Annex B in this document. But don’t fret, just put down 1,2,3 or more things you think you can cover in a short spoken comment to them. We want plenty of you to talk about your lived experience of flights at night, during the day, the impact on your lives, your health, your kids, your work. All the usual things that you were so brilliant at highlighting when you registered as an interested party.

But I didn’t register as an interested party?

Don’t worry. You can still speak at an OPen Floor Session

Telephone:0303 444 5000e-mail:ManstonAirport@pins.gsi.gov.uk

DO THIS EVEN IF YOU REGISTERED AS AN INTERESTED PARTY IN OCTOBER

For fuller information on all of this, see below

We are about to enter the Examination Phase of the DCO. RSP have applied to the National Planning Inspectorate for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to compulsory repurchase the Manston site and develop it as a 24/7 cargo hub airport.

In October, residents registered as ‘interested parties’ during the pre-examination phase. Now, from January 10th, we will be in the examination phase where the Examining Authority will question the applicant’s (Riveroak Strategic Partners) case and will hear from residents and others about issues connected with the application.

Even if you have already registered, you need to let PINS know if you would like to speak at one of the scheduled meetings in early January. We obviously want as many of you as possible to register. You aren’t going to need to make a grand speech. As little as a minute is fine. You can have 10-20 minutes if you want.

What are the meetings?

On January 9th there is a preliminary hearing meeting. Basically, this is still part of the pre-examination stage. It is to give any of us the chance to comment on the process, the procedure. It ISN’T an opportunity to comment on the merits or demerits of the application itself. You should only register to go to speak at this meeting if you think PINS haven’t covered all the issues ( see Annex B in this document) that need to be examined in this process.

On January 10th during the day, there is an Issue Specific Hearing meeting which will see the examining panel questioning RSP’s application. You can attend but this isn’t a meetng for the public to comment at.

On January 10th in the evening, there is an Open Floor Meeting, where the Examining Authority will hear from members of the public.

On January 11th during the day, there is an Open Floor Meeting, where the Examining Authority will hear from members of the public.

There will be plenty of opportunities for you to submit a written submission where you can go into detail. This is a written evidence-driven process. But the Examining Authority wants to hear from people in the flesh. Make sure you are there.

Over a thousand of you opposed to RiverOak Strategic Partners’ plans for Manston registered with the national planning inspectorate (PINS) despite the tiny timeframe we were given to do this. WELL DONE!

It’s clear then that a majority are against these plans. It’s clear that the majority of those opposed to the plans are those most directly affected by them if they happened unlike many of the responses from those in support.

Time and again, ordinary residents demanded to be able to question an application that is fundamentally flawed, inaccurate, confused and confusing and which fails to meet the criteria for a nationally significant infrastructure project. In response after response, people questioned RSP’s business case (or lack of), funding (lack of), evidence (lack of) and their credibility.

On the pro side, we read the same old myths being trotted out:

the longest, widest runway (yawn)

it’s either this or houses (yawn)

there won’t be night flights (yawn)

…and so on.

On a lighter note, we can all make errors especially if writing in haste, so we have enjoyed some slips of the finger and predictive text typos that have resulted in very funny responses to PINS. Our favourite two:

the hope that ‘Martin’ will soon be reopened as a cargo hub airport

the need for an airport so that more ‘gods’ can fly in

More seriously, there are plaintive cries from the pro-airport lobby for jobs and we definitely understand this. Which makes it all the more cruel and frustrating that people have been sold fantasy figures on jobs, fantasy figures that they will have heard at the shockingly inadequate and inaccurate consultations.

Everyone in the area wants jobs, wants opportunities for the young, wants regeneration. RSP has nothing to offer us.

We’re glad that everyone has had an opportunity to express their views and to register as interested parties. We know that hard work, research and effort that so many NNF members have put into this.

At NNF we hope that the Examing Authority, now appointed (see below), will quickly get on with interrogating and dismissing this ludicrous application that should never have been able to proceed this far.

Manston never succeeded as a commercial airport. It could never attract the operators and so we were never subjected to more than two or three flights a day. On average, Manston had approximately 500 cargo flights a year when it was open. RSP’s plans are for 10,000-17,000 a year. This isn’t ‘saving our airport’. This is about trying to establish a 24/7 cargo hub with planes overhead day and night.

Make sure you register as an ‘interested party’ with the national planning inspectorate before 8th October 2018.

What does this mean?

A quick update on the Manston Development Consent Order (DCO) process.

Application: No time limit.

17/07/18 RSP re-submits application for the upgrade and re-opening of Manston airport primarily as a cargo airport, plus some passenger servcies, with capacity for 12,000 plus air cargo movements per year, including numberless night flights (limited only be an overall annual noise budget bigger than Luton’s) plus acceptance of aircraft banned from Heathrow and Gatwick at night on noise grounds (QC4 rated aircraft)

Acceptance: Up to 28 days

14/08/18 PINS announces acceptance of the application (just within the statutory deadline). For a summary of relevant reasons for acceptance see PINS checklist from p4 here.

Pre-examination: 3 months after the applicant (RSP) triggers the process

Three weeks from EA invitation to interested parties (perhaps late December 2018) Preliminary Meeting held to set procedure plus detailed timetable and deadlines for submissions to Examination.

Examination: Up to 6 months

To consider written representations and hold hearings (perhaps February to August 2019)

Report and recommendations: Up to 3 months

3 months to issue report and recommendation(s) (perhaps October – November 2019)

Decision: Up to 3 months

3 months for Secretary of State to make a DCO (or to refuse development consent) and issue statement of reeasons (perhaps January – February 2020)

Post-decision: Up to 6 weeks

6 week window for Judicial Review in the High Court.

WE ARE AT THE PRE-EXAMINATION STAGE.

It is at this stage that, before 8th October 2018, all interested parties need to apply to PINS to be registered. Being registered means that you can contribute at the Examination stage of the process. If you do not apply to be registered as an interested party before 8th October, you will have no further opportunity to contribute your views.

PINS say about registering:

In this form, your representation must include an outline of the principal submissions you intend to make in relation to the application. You cannot reserve a right to make a representation later without providing an outline of the points you intend to submit at this stage.

that is vexatious or frivolous

about compensation for compulsory acquisition of land or of any interest in or right over land

about the merits of policy set out in a designated national policy statement.

The information you include in the representation section of this form will be used by the Examining Authority to carry out their initial assessment of principal issues and to decide the best way to examine the application.

Here you must provide an outline of the main points you intend to make in relation to the application. Failure to provide this will mean that we are unable to register you as an interested party. Please aim to limit this section to no more than 500 words.

Green Party MEP Keith Taylor has submitted an application to the national planning inspectorate (PINS) to be registered as an ‘interested party’ in the DCO planning process. Speaking in the strongest terms, Mr Taylor has outlined in great detail the ways in which the proposal by RSP would be seriously damaging to individuals, to the local area and to the environment generally.

Naturally, as a Green MEP, one would expect the full force of evidence with regard to climate change, biodiversity and the environment to figure largely in Mr Taylor’s submission. Notable too though, is his complete dismissal of RSP’s business case and his concern for residents.

What does this mean?

A quick update on the Manston Development Consent Order (DCO) process.

Application: No time limit.

17/07/18 RSP re-submits application for the upgrade and re-opening of Manston airport primarily as a cargo airport, plus some passenger servcies, with capacity for 12,000 plus air cargo movements per year, including numberless night flights (limited only be an overall annual noise budget bigger than Luton’s) plus acceptance of aircraft banned from Heathrow and Gatwick at night on noise grounds (QC4 rated aircraft)

Acceptance: Up to 28 days

14/08/18 PINS announces acceptance of the application (just within the statutory deadline). For a summary of relevant reasons for acceptance see PINS checklist from p4 here.

Pre-examination: 3 months after the applicant (RSP) triggers the process

Three weeks from EA invitation to interested parties (perhaps late December 2018) Preliminary Meeting held to set procedure plus detailed timetable and deadlines for submissions to Examination.

Examination: Up to 6 months

To consider written representations and hold hearings (perhaps February to August 2019)

Report and recommendations: Up to 3 months

3 months to issue report and recommendation(s) (perhaps October – November 2019)

Decision: Up to 3 months

3 months for Secretary of State to make a DCO (or to refuse development consent) and issue statement of reeasons (perhaps January – February 2020)

Post-decision: Up to 6 weeks

6 week window for Judicial Review in the High Court.

WE ARE AT THE PRE-EXAMINATION STAGE.

It is at this stage that, before 8th October 2018, all interested parties need to apply to PINS to be registered. Being registered means that you can contribute at the Examination stage of the process. If you do not apply to be registered as an interested party before 8th October, you will have no further opportunity to contribute your views.

PINS say about registering:

In this form, your representation must include an outline of the principal submissions you intend to make in relation to the application. You cannot reserve a right to make a representation later without providing an outline of the points you intend to submit at this stage.

that is vexatious or frivolous

about compensation for compulsory acquisition of land or of any interest in or right over land

about the merits of policy set out in a designated national policy statement.

The information you include in the representation section of this form will be used by the Examining Authority to carry out their initial assessment of principal issues and to decide the best way to examine the application.

Here you must provide an outline of the main points you intend to make in relation to the application. Failure to provide this will mean that we are unable to register you as an interested party. Please aim to limit this section to no more than 500 words.

Another packed meeting on Friday night, despite being organised very last minute. St Lawrence Hall saw 90 chairs put out very quickly filled and then with people standing and sitting round the edges until over 120 people were present. A great turn out from Nethercourt where, we are constantly assured by airport supporters, 100% of residents are apparently in support of RSP’s plans. It appears not.

Residents heard about the DCO process and what to do if they wanted to be registered as ‘interested parties’ for the next stage – the examination stage.

People were generally already well-informed about RSP’s plans and were united in being against them. What was most shocking in the evening was when the question was posed – ‘how many of you received any direct notification about any of RSP’s consultation events’ – and only about 3 hands went up. It really does seem as though those living closest to the runway were deliberately kept in the dark.

Residents heard from No Night Flights but also from their local councillors, Cllrs Lin and Jeremy Fairbrass who were clear in why they had supported a small airport at Manston originally but why they were completely against the RSP proposals. Cllr Lin Fairbrass read out the statement from UKIP that has been submitted to PINS.

What does this mean?

A quick update on the Manston Development Consent Order (DCO) process.

Application: No time limit.

17/07/18 RSP re-submits application for the upgrade and re-opening of Manston airport primarily as a cargo airport, plus some passenger servcies, with capacity for 12,000 plus air cargo movements per year, including numberless night flights (limited only be an overall annual noise budget bigger than Luton’s) plus acceptance of aircraft banned from Heathrow and Gatwick at night on noise grounds (QC4 rated aircraft)

Acceptance: Up to 28 days

14/08/18 PINS announces acceptance of the application (just within the statutory deadline). For a summary of relevant reasons for acceptance see PINS checklist from p4 here.

Pre-examination: 3 months after the applicant (RSP) triggers the process

Three weeks from EA invitation to interested parties (perhaps late December 2018) Preliminary Meeting held to set procedure plus detailed timetable and deadlines for submissions to Examination.

Examination: Up to 6 months

To consider written representations and hold hearings (perhaps February to August 2019)

Report and recommendations: Up to 3 months

3 months to issue report and recommendation(s) (perhaps October – November 2019)

Decision: Up to 3 months

3 months for Secretary of State to make a DCO (or to refuse development consent) and issue statement of reeasons (perhaps January – February 2020)

Post-decision: Up to 6 weeks

6 week window for Judicial Review in the High Court.

WE ARE AT THE PRE-EXAMINATION STAGE.

It is at this stage that, before 8th October 2018, all interested parties need to apply to PINS to be registered. Being registered means that you can contribute at the Examination stage of the process. If you do not apply to be registered as an interested party before 8th October, you will have no further opportunity to contribute your views.

PINS say about registering:

In this form, your representation must include an outline of the principal submissions you intend to make in relation to the application. You cannot reserve a right to make a representation later without providing an outline of the points you intend to submit at this stage.

that is vexatious or frivolous

about compensation for compulsory acquisition of land or of any interest in or right over land

about the merits of policy set out in a designated national policy statement.

The information you include in the representation section of this form will be used by the Examining Authority to carry out their initial assessment of principal issues and to decide the best way to examine the application.

Here you must provide an outline of the main points you intend to make in relation to the application. Failure to provide this will mean that we are unable to register you as an interested party. Please aim to limit this section to no more than 500 words.